Bush Tire Folks Can Start Planning Now

Those in the STOL scene can start planning when to burn their PTO, now that the National STOL schedule has been published for 2024.

The Short Take Off and Landing season already started in March, with the initiation of Swamp STOL in Jennings, Louisiana. Next up? Heritage STOL in Virginia Beach, VA, happening on April 26 and 27. That monthly tempo keeps up pretty consistently, with Arklahoma STOL at Pocola, Oklahoma taking place on May 24-25; Moses Lake Airshow of Washington from June 14 to 16; and an outlier happening only a couple weeks later at the Appalachian Mountain STOL competition. That one runs from June 28th to the 29th in Clarion, Pennsylvania, before things get back into the monthly swing. July 19-20 will see Sodbusters STOL in Hartford Wisconsin; August 16-17 the Rocky Mountain STOL competition in Pinedale, Wyoming; followed by Oregon Trail STOL in Ontario, Oregon on September 6 and 7. From there the season starts winding down in the fall, with Music City STOL in Gallatin, Tennessee on October 11-12; followed by Lonestar STOL in Sulphur Springs, Texas on November 1st. From there, the same locale will host National STOL Finals on November 2nd, putting a cap on a competitive year with some capable new entrants.

"Our vision at National STOL is simple," National STOL organizers affirm. "We introduce the excitement of general aviation to a nationwide audience, challenge pilots to better themselves, and foster the next generation of aviators. Established in 2020, our series has demonstrated continuous growth with four competitions in 2021, six in 2022. and eight in 2023. As we enter the 2024 season, National STOL plans to host ten to twelve events from coast to coast."

National STOL says they aren't like most aviation spectacle, since they have a much wider web presence for audiences at home to check out the competition. With high levels of engagement, and some pretty niche but technically engaging content, STOL competitions are an interesting element to add to the online tapestry of aeronautics. 

They stress that the sport of STOL flight isn't limited to just the usual crop of backcountry bounders from around the bush. Any pilot can - and should - refine their short takeoff and landing technique as much as they can, and competition is a solid way to keep their skills sharp.

FMI: www.nationalstol.com